War & Decline

The Home Front (civil defence & rationing)

Tin of 'National Dried Milk'

Period:

20th Century

Description:

When the war began, Britain was importing about 60% of her food. Soon ships bringing food to this country were being sunk, some of the countries that grew the food were taken over by the enemy, and sometimes bombs hit the warehouses where the food was stored. To ensure that everyone got a fair share, the government introduced a system of rationing.

Bacon, butter and sugar rationing was the first to be introduced on 8 January 1940. Meat rationing followed in March and in July, tea, cooking fats, jam and cheese followed. Initially people were permitted one egg per fortnight, and three pints of milk a week, but later dried eggs and dried milk, known as 'household milk', became more common. Each tin of household milk was said to equal four pints of liquid milk when water was added and, for most of the war, every family was allowed one tin a month. Children under one, and later two, years old were entitled to National Dried Milk, a full-cream product much nearer the real thing than household milk. A points system gave shoppers a choice of other foods such as breakfast cereals, biscuits, canned fruit and fish. From July 1942 sweets were rationed to 2 ounces (50g) a week. Petrol and clothes were also rationed.